Bookin’ it: Students at a public school in Monroe are getting electronic readers in a move that the school’s teachers, principal and librarian hope will encourage them to read more. The News-Star reports that Lexington Elementary School purchased Kindle readers using school improvement funds. The electronic devices will be distributed to students this week. Once books are downloaded on the Kindle, they can be shared with five electronic devices. Lexington librarian Charlotte Breard is hoping that sharing capacity will encourage students to form small reading groups to discuss reading materials. The e-book reader will also allow students to have access to age appropriate books that are not available in the school’s library. Read the full story here.
Let’s go bowling: Believe it or not, there’s a host of college football bowl games besides No. 1 LSU versus No. 2 Alabama that should prove to be great games, beginning Dec. 17. Wisconsin and Oregon are in the Rose Bowl, Florida takes on Ohio State in the Gator Bowl, and Georgia has Michigan State in the Outback Bowl, just to name a few. Check out the full slate of bowl games on ESPN’s website here.
The TV that talks and listens: Microsoft is rolling out a new interface for its Xbox game console users: one that allows you to navigate through music, movies, TV shows and games with the wave of your hand or the sound of your voice. The interface, first demonstrated by CEO Steve Ballmer in September, is set up similarly to Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system, with a series of large panes showing content options. Xbox owners with the Kinect motion controller can swipe through screens by waving their hand in the air. It also responds to direct voice commands, and incorporates Microsoft’s search engine, Bing. Windows phone users can control what to watch or hear by tapping on their portable devices. Read more about it from The Associated Press here.
